You’re a classy guy as well as a talented wood whisperer; returning inappropriateness with kindness and good information. 👍

Veneer is used in luxury car dashboards. Nobody complaints about that.

Commenter: “Sorry, but….” Dashner: “Apology accepted.”

Veneer and plywood are signs of modern and responsible forestry practice. All parts of cut trees are used, and 2nd and 3rd growth yong forest are utilized on and ongoing rotating of replanting without cutting down century old timber. Thanks Dash

you're saving furniture from going into our landfills...that's what I think is the most important. Unfortunately, humans are great at constantly buying and dumping...I'm accused of that as well...but watching you and a few others who restore furniture has made me re-think a lot of the old furniture pieces I have at home. Thank you

It's so nice to see how cultured you handle the critics. I wish I had this attitude.

No snarkiness here, I genuinely mean this.... I am one of those people that was a snob about veneer being bad. But now I see it in a new light. I also had no idea how common it is used in furniture making. Consider my mind officially blown!🤫

I have a hand-made dresser from 1905 that is solid tiger oak, except for the top. The top is 1 inch plywood with a 1/16th inch veneer. To say veneer is cheap mass-produced crap is woefully ignorant of woodworking techniques.

I just hope you got some laughs 😂 out of these rude comments... I’m sure you did, you are a very smart man.

I guess all the veneer haters aren't Mid-Century Modern fans eh? Because a VAST percentage of MCM pieces (especially casegood pieces like dressers, credenzas, etc that everyone wants) are veneer. There are exceptions here and there of course. Heywood Wakefield, Willett has a semi-MCM line that's solid cherry, etc - but overall, it's veneer as far as the eye can see. Not a whole lot of choice.

You forgot to add, "suck it" on your outro. Great points and ignore the haters. Mad respect.

The irony is many of the finest antiques (100 yrs old with high resell value) are veneered. Craftsmen from the past knew this was the best way to showcase precious woods while retaining strength and years of use in their products.

It may be worth mentioning that when a a tree/log is milled down into usable pieces - most if not all of the most “visually pleasing/beautiful grained” pieces are reserved for veneer . Solid pieces of the most visually beautiful part of the tree are harder to come by and very expensive .

I can't even with the other commentators. I LOVE that you work with and save "cheap" pieces that are now perfectly functional and beautiful and would have ended up as woodchips or worse otherwise. THAT'S recycling and just what we need in this world. Love this channel and keep on keeping on.

Thank you for lending sanity to a subject overly complicated or misunderstood. Yes, anyone could google veneer and learn a lot. You give a calm, informative explanation, with visual aids.

I really hope those solid wood snobs take on board this information. I'm not a fan of particle board or fibre board because of the issues you mentioned but plywood is really useful stuff. I love the style of mid-century furniture and it's design was about using new methods and what was then non traditional materials. I have some solid wood Ercol furniture which I love and a veneered chest of drawers from the late 1950s. Also think of all those stunning veneer marquetry pieces from earlier centuries!

Everyone has seen coverage of the flooding on the Gulf Coast and East Coast, and piles of furniture on the curb. I bet a lot of that stuff could be brought back to life, after a thorough cleaning and disinfecting.

You are a very good instructor! That was the most profound polite passive aggression I have seen in a long time! I admire you more than ever! Good to get it off your chest.

Some people's kids! No class, no manners, and no intelligence. You on the other hand, are great! Love the content and skill.

There's a company in the UK called 'Oak Furnitureland', their slogan is 'No veneer in here'. When the quality of the design is second to the materials it's created with, you know you've gone wrong. The designs speak for themselves, but I will speak for them in absense of photos. They're atrocious. Solid wood furniture does not equal quality, and it never has. The best and most expensive case goods (sideboards, credenza, chests of drawers) of the 20th century were particleboard/plywood and veneer and many of those fantastic designs would have failed with the season movement of solid wood.

Some of those comments were harsh, keep saving the discarded gems!

loved this!! Learned a lot while being entertained by all the comments😂😂 great job

You are a class act to answer those snobs and haters with such a nice and informative tone! Thanks for the lesson!

All i can think of is that episode of Frasier where they are watching a show like Antique Roadshow, and taking a drink each time someone says "veneer". If i did this with this video, i'd be dead. ;)

That guitar sounds great. It reminds me of The Hollies.

Social media-- a place where we can learn how to work with veneer from a guy who is willing to film himself and post it... and a place where a lot of people have forgotten their manners. Everyone has opinions. Not all opinions need to be spat out and cursed into a maker's comments section. Personally, your veneer work is very interesting. It looks complicated and labor intensive. However, because I've seen you do it, I'm less terrified of trying to salvage my great grandmother's old waterfall chest, with half the veneer ripped off of one side. So thanks for the courage!

I'd bet dollars to doughnuts (1:1) that folks declaiming veneer and "having standards" actually are sidewalk arbiters with virtually no knowledge of furniture and an unrealistic understanding of their ignorance. (!) So many gorgeous pieces are only possible with veneers and the prejudice of ignoramacenti doesn't change a thing. Long overdue exposure!

Thank you for widening our horizon about veneer, I mean it. I am a mud between a German sailor and a Norwegian nurse. I grew up in the 60's and 70's with mid century furniture that my parents loved. And now it has become fashionable again. Many pieces you showed in this video remind me of my older homes. I love the simplicity and minimalistic style. Great video 👍

Well said and beautifully explained. Chippendale, and his followers, used veneer, Sheraton, and his followers, used veneer. And they made some of the best furniture ever made in the English-speaking world. Veneer is decorative, and a way of using an expensive finish more reliably, and only secondly more affordably. Those great makers would certainly have used plywood or particle boards if they had had them back then. Solid wood is often inappropriate for large panels of wood - as it has a tendency to warp or split. Veneer gives the look of solid wood while using the wood's natural strength appropriately.

Love to see your other talents. 😁 I'm ready for lots of songs about furniture restoration.

You should do a video tour of your house showing all the furniture you restored!

Thank you for making this video; while a bit of a different pace from your repair videos there's still plenty here to learn from. Also, I really enjoyed your gameshow-style clip of the dovetail joints.

Really enjoyed this tutorial. Here’s a question for the next FAQ: How do you tell what kind of wood or veneer an old piece of furniture might be? Oh, and your original music from that one video long ago is so pleasing to listen to. Yes, more please!

Not only did I learn tons watching this video, I've discovered a previously unknown need I have. If funds allowed, which they do not and will not, I need you to narrate a day in my life.

#1 not everyone can afford solid wood furniture, but they still like beauty and veneer is effective that way #2 By not trashing the pieces you repair, you are helping our earth and not filling landfills with them #3 you are awesome and I appreciate all your hard work and what I learn from your channel.

Even Chippendale and Stickley used veneer. Great educational video! No need to be prejudiced about veneer. Nowadays certain hardwoods are so expensive (rare too) that it is not economically feasible to use solid. I do wish the Kona tray I brought home from Hawaii was veneer over plywood instead of solid Kona. When it came home to Arizona with me it dried out, the flat surface warped and actually twisted itself out of the handle joins.

Keeping pieces out of the landfill and reusing what we have is so important. I wish the snobs could see that. Keep up the amazing work!

Oh my gosh! This is dead pan humour at it’s finest! Dash, you roasted your critics in a smooth and rational fashion. Well done you 😎

I used to dislike ply and paricle board or any manufactured wood. But then When you make a lot of furniture you develop a respect for all well made furniture whether solid wood or ply or particle board or veneered or anything for that matter. The effort that goes in making / restoring any piece is priceless

Thanks Dash for addressing the haters and trolls in such a great manner! Enough of them! Thank you for teaching me so many things!

Well I’m just happy you save and rescue furniture and give it a new life instead of the dump amen 🙏 to you ❤️

Thank you for this video. It answered every question I had, the whole “veneer” thing had me questioning whether or not to refinish a console. Now I’m definitely gonna make it over. That’s mate

Marquetry is veneering work, and applied over a less expensive substrate and produces a fantastic looking piece of furniture.

I learned a lot today about plywood and veneer. It’s good to hear from the experts like yourself on the benefits of using it in furniture building. Thanks!

Thank you for the lesson, it was very helpful. My Dad built many pieces of beautiful furniture using veneer and they still look great. I have several lsrge pieces of mid century modern pieces that are veneer and walnut from the 60s and I have refinished the veneer beautifully.

Very informative video! I personally detest particle board, even though it is often used on well-designed pieces. MDF is better, Plywood is as good or better than solid wood in many cases (stays nice and straight and not affected much by humidity). Good quality veneer is nice and can feel just as good to the touch as solid wood, but I've seen some terribly thin veneers (paper thin) or even printed plastic films made to resemble wood and they are lousy (especially when put on thin particle board).

Not only are you my go to furniture restorer, you are now my life coach. An object lesson in dealing with critics. Class.

Love to see that guitar again! And thank you for kindly pointing out how things like veneer and plywood made nice furniture accessible. Made it sturdy and able to be maintained by hardworking people. That it made wood otherwise too warped or not large enough or had a blemish usable. Made lovely workable pieces for function and comfort cost hundreds instead of thousands of dollars. There's an ingenuity to getting a nice slice of a beautiful wood and making the most of it through veneer. And you restore it all the time. Well said. Well done.

Very good information - the telecaster was even better!

'Vuhneer' 'veneer', tomatoes, tomatos...🙄. Thank you for this great lesson on veneer.

Bravo Dash! This video was brilliantly done. Award winning perhaps.

I watch your video's for two reasons: - I want to start a business next to my job to restore and sell furniture and I learn a lot from you. - Your voice is so relaxing. Most times I watch it in the evening to wind down. What would be nice is a 1 hour video that can be used as a meditation video. Thank you for doing what you do. You're awesome.

You are doing a great job, your restoration and repair videos are not only very interesting and educational but also fun and relaxing to watch.

Also, it's good to take care and restore cheaper things. The thing that attracted me more about your channel is how much care you give to restoring veneer furniture.

I have just bought an oak veneer refectory table. It is well made with solid wood legs with veneered top. I bought it from a charity shop because it was beautiful and only 30 euros. Thank you for making me feel even better about my table and I absolutely agree with AD's comment about class and kindness.

Thank you so much for your videos. I’m a beginner woodworker and I’ve snarked at some of my projects because they’re not classy wood. I’ve been reluctant to use composite boards, but you have suade me to try it. Thank you again!

I use plywood all the time to build stuff wich is also veneered to look good.

Thanks for making this video! I was having a terrible time telling the difference while hunting for furniture. I think the reason many people look down on veneered furniture is because they've had very cheap furniture before. Everyone has had that $30 bookcase made of particle board break apart on them. Calling a piece of furniture from the 1960s inferior is absurd. It's last 60 years! Practically every antique piece of solid wood furniture you'll find has been repaired at least once if not multiple times.

Great video as always, you handled those “questions” perfectly. Thank you for high lifting the curved dresser top. It is pretty obvious the majority of those folks have never toured an actual furniture plant or even taken the time to price what a “solid wood” piece would cost. By the time it’s all said and done if I would make a solid mahogany or cherry dresser (let’s not even think about exotic hard woods) someone would need to pay $2500 to $5000 or more for it. Builders have always used a combination of materials so that their product can be sold and stand up to the test of time.

I love this channel, my wife and I love kicking back and watching you work your magic and rescue all of these beautiful and overlooked pieces. You do great work and if people feel like your pieces are below them, I'm sure there are many channels on KZfaq to cater to their "highbrow" tastes.

Thank you for posting. I have learned a lot from your channel and am working on restoring my first piece - a solid oak (antique) wash stand. Can you do a step by step tutorial on how to fix a crack in a piece of solid wood - products used etc. Thanks

“FAQ #3” means I missed the first two, which is something I need to rectify as soon as I finish writing this. (Is there a way to add links to the first two?) But before that I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed this “new” format where you answer some questions and disgruntled comments with knowledge, light humor and patience of an experienced furniture restorer (… and a guitar player?! Extra points from me!) I only wish the video was a bit longer or maybe you could add links to some other previous videos where you work with veneer: do small repairs, apply new sheets, color match, etc. Still, thank you and have a great day.

"here's a guitar I made out of a piano" the ultimate pick-up line.

Im restoring antiques here in germany as a hobby .... most valuable antique furniture which i restore - from 1700 to 1920 - are made of cheap wood (mostly pine) and veneered with mohagony, walnut, flamed birch, birds eye maple and so on ..... solid wood was not preferred by cabinet makers in former times because of warping and shrinking ... Great video, Dash !!

Great video. In the late 70's, when I got into woodworking, I too believed furniture made with veneer was cheap and only furniture made from solid wood was worth having. But now i realize that poor construction and design make a piece of furniture 'cheap' not the use of veneer. And on another topic...Would you be willing to share where you source the veneer you use? Many thanks for you most excellent videos.

Well explained thank you. All we have to do is look at the cost of veneer these days, MY WORD!! You must admit though, it is an artform to apply veneer properly and finish it. The sad thing is though, is that if you live in a Condominium or a newer house, these larger pieces of furniture are just too big. I think Angie, the furniture restorer from Nova Scotia does an amazing job as well. You may have commented on her pieces as well. She even tackles those laminates, that plastic "Stuff." Hey if these pieces are 50-60 years old or more and all they need is a refresh, why not?

Dash , your patience and explanations to our questions are stellar and precise. I wish you would have been one of my teachers in my crap public schools I attended. I would have remembered you forever and would have benefited from just listening to you. I’m almost 50 and find your videos insightful and useful. I don’t understand the haters , why watch if you are going to be a dick? Your responses are perfect . Thanks again !

I love wood and prefer refinishing over painting, but even in my lack of professional knowledge, I know that solid wood warps and that veneer has been used since the beginning of time. I'm old and remember when plywood was used more than chipboard and particleboard and I'd pick plywood any day over both. I've made simple things myself from it when I couldn't afford to buy things I wanted for arts and crafts storage. I kept thinking, as the conversation covered solid wood and warping, that especially with thin plywood, you need to give the same layers of coverage on both sides or it will warp too. I screwed up once after making myself a light weight drawing board and forgot which side had been shellacked several times. One side got one coat and the other ended up with three. Yep, it warped. Art teacher had warned us too. I do appreciate that you are not a snob and enjoy refinishing and repairing things that some would ignore. I recognise styles and actual items from my youth that you've brought back to life, and it's great. Danish teak, yum, and I guess mid century modern which was THE style when i was young. Everything old becomes new again. Good thing too. Thanks for sharing your work. 👍😊

Veneers are also used in some very expensive automobile interiors. I was watching a special on Rolls-Royce and Bentley car making--they use some very rare--and very expensive--veneers when planning out the wood trim on the vehicle interiors. Part of the reason they use veneers is so they can use a very temperature/humidity-stable substrate underneath, and also have a consistent look throughout the vehicle. Of course, they had some absolutely beautiful veneers available to them.

You did a wonderful job explaining this to the naysayers. Thank you for all you do!

Wood veneer has a very long history, and plenty of highly collectible 18th and 19th century American furniture are constructed with veneered panels. Plywood is an excellent and stable substrate for veneers, and guitar manufacturers have been building elite musical instruments with multi-ply boards for over 100 years. Keep up the good work!

Don't worry anyone has to say about pronunciations. Your content is thorough and is gold!!! Absolutely loved the whole description. Thank you.

You seem so sweet! Thank you for making videos, they are very soothing and interesting. Love from Norway

Thank you for this video. I'm not a woodworker, but I find the information interesting as I'm always wanting to learn new things. I've watched enough of your videos that when you speak, I listen. You know what you're talking about, and the results of your repairs and restorations speak for themselves.

Thank you for your continued patience with furniture and people. I always enjoy your videos. While I am not always a fan of mid century pieces, I love what you do with them, and seeing different types and methods of construction is always great for troubleshooting. Your explanations are always enjoyed and looked forward to, and this video continued your streak of awesomeness. 🤗

Something that also I often see with comments about veneer being “trash” or “cheep” are often confusing it with laminate. So to your point that veneer is REAL wood, vs laminate which is is synthetic (usually made of a resin, almost plastic like), shows their lack of information. Solid wood tops are heavy, expensive and like you showed, can warp over time. Great video. Thx, Dash.💜

Thank you for educating these ignorant haters. I hear people say these things all the time and it’s simply not true. I used to work in the fine furniture industry and have visited some high-end furniture factories; they all use veneer. Some people have no idea what they’re talking about and I’m so glad people like you are willing to set the story straight. And with a little humor even!

I've been viewing so many of these videos for relaxation and learning. I didn't realize there was this much vitriol in the comments sections of your videos! You handled it well though. Bravo, and don't let it deter you from making these.

This a very well made video with many very good points. I would like to point out that ALL plywood is actually just stacks of veneers and some just have nicer face veneers like oak, walnut, birch etc. Also using a plywood or MDF as a veneering substrate is desirable since those products do not have seasonal shrinking and swelling like solid wood does. Finally I would like to point out to all of the haters out there that under almost all upholstered furniture, no matter how nice you think it is, is wood so crappy that it is not acceptable for use as pallet wood.

Thank you to clear up about all kind of wood. I love them all. Great information either way love or hate it it is all come from a tree. Tomorrow morning I will go out and hug my trees and thank them. 🤩😇🌳🌲🌴👍👍👍🖖🖖🖖🖖

Great video... lots of good information. Since, for years, plywood and veneer was my dad's business I grew up with it all around.

"Veneer is cheesy and temporary!" All furniture is temporary. All wood is temporary. KZfaq and the Internet at the device you're using is temporary. What kind of a comment is that?

Great video. Perfect explaination. Love the reaction and response to rude comments. Most of the time I get why people use veneer. At least 4 times I have seen youtubers take the damaged veneer off of a piece to see beautiful wood underneath. That I don't understand why they would want to cover it up. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I know wood prices fluctuate between demand and what variety of species, but maybe some kind of comparison on how much a piece cost versus if it wasn't used with plywood? I think some people might be surprised at how much extra solid pieces would increase the cost.

I know people can be mean, but I didn’t know that people could be so mean! The pieces you chose are usually no the prettiest (before refinishing), but that’s the point. It’s much easier to make an already pretty piece look nice, but it requires way more patience, time and skills to turn a filthy piece into fabulous, and that’s what make you standout, no everyone can do that. I recently did my first staining job, and I got to appreciate more how good your work is, that evenness and perfection is very difficult to achieve. I watched lots of furniture flip videos on KZfaq, but honestly no one could stain as smooth as you do. I remember in one of your teak table refinishing video, you had to strip, sand, apply acid, then brush, and then apply wood fillers to get rid of those stains in the pores. It really moves me as I see a man who truly takes pride in what he does and pour so much love in each piece he makes. It is rare to find these days. Last but not least, thank you very much for making these FAQ videos, they are so informative! Btw, I thought dovetails means high quality furniture as I was told so, but glad to learn that it is not the case😂

There is also many times where a high end veneer over the same spices, I have Andrew Malcolm dinning set from the turn of the century and it is solid walnut with burled walnut veneer. Veneer is often made out of the hugest and most difficult varieties to find, and therefore worth way to much to buy it as dimensional lumber. Great video 😁

I used to have bad opinions about veneer, but watching your videos has changed my mind. When done well, veneer can look amazing.

Technically speaking: Veneer is ANY material that has been laminated to another surface. For instance, Plastic laminate is a veneer.

I found your channel through Transcend Furniture where Angi taught me about veneer vs solid wood (she gave you credit for learning many things). You’re a good teacher. Returning information in response to snark.

You've inspired me to try using more plywood in my projects, and seeing that you use pre-glued veneer helped validate that I could use it, too. (I also say vuh-neer)

9:31 hit me hard, I am still laughing :) Carpenter from Germany here and I didn't recognize, that veneer is just a US thing. 🤔🤣 In the Internet, everybody is an expert without working with this stuff, so... let 'em talk. It's fun at least. Thanks for your videos, I enjoy them very much, you do great work! 🌞

The large sections of the furniture weren’t made of plywood to prevent the owner’s children owning a piece with a warped top in a hundred years, it was purely based on cost. But the point the commenters are missing is that you aren’t claiming it to be ‘fine furniture’ or intending to flip it for a profit, you are saving the pieces from the dump and a low income family could really do with it. You are teaching how anybody can transform it for a small cost. I approve

I have to say, your knowledge and honest straightforwardness about different furniture materials was both informative and hysterically accurate..I agree completely!

Furniture is expensive, so if it can be restored and /or repurposed that is a great thing. Dash you are doing a wonderful thing! It’s been a pleasure watching your videos. 😀 I love taking an old piece and making it look like new again.

Those comments remind me of the quote “ Wisdom is quiet. Ignorance is loud.” It does seem to hold true especially with rude commenters. There seems to be a kindness and calm that comes with knowledge and wisdom. You’re a classy guy!

Holy cow at these negative comments! Couldn't imagine spending the time to neg, let alone this channel which is routinely pumping out the finest work. Kudos to you for this video and your calm measured experienced response.

Marquetry is used in the most expensive high-end furniture. It takes years of training to master and is made using various veneers. Can't call that cheap.

I am so happy I clicked on this video! I was one of those people that couldn't tell the difference between veneer and laminate but now knows better after studying Interior design. And I totally agree with you on plywood. This was another material that I felt was cheap and poor quality. Thank you for your thorough explanation and your sense of humor! It's nice to listen to people who are level headed and don't take offense in ignorant comments.

It's 2am & I can't sleep, beginning my first project & wondering how to tell if veneer, so came across this. The messages & the way they sound when you read them is cracking me up, lol. Thanks for all the good info!

I LOVED this video. I have profound hearing distortion that leads to frequent issues in comprehending a lot of online videos. I was able to easily comprehend every word you spoke. You have such a calming, stable voice. Look forward to more videos from you. You should consider doing some audio books. Thank you.